


Set Me On Fire

by flippednique



Series: First Love [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: (Un)helpful Siblings, First Kiss, Hermes Cabin - Freeform, I love writing the Hermes Siblings, M/M, Not just Connor and Travis, There is a lot of feelings in this, Time in the infirmary, all of them - Freeform, prank gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-21 00:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15545808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flippednique/pseuds/flippednique
Summary: “Oh Connor, the things we do for you, bro.”“All properly appreciated.” Connor promises then promptly rolls his eyes at Travis’ meaningful look. “And allwillbe properly reciprocated once asked.”“That a boy.” Travis claps his hands together and grins wickedly as the rest of their siblings convened around them and their bunk. “Children! What did the sparkly book say?”





	1. The One With The Sparkly Book

Connor thinks about it. He’s asked Travis about it, and he’s even prayed to his dad for strength to do it. But we weren’t talking about just any simple thing to do, no, nope. Kissing Mitchell had to be the most absolutely perfect thing he’s ever done in his short sixteen years of life (quite long for a demigod that’s been through two wars). If there was a single drop of godly blood flowing through his veins, it would damned be a moment written straight out of Nicholas Sparks’ novels! _Zeus help him._

Then he thinks he could ask his siblings. 

“Okay, so Alice took one of Lacy’s self-help books. The one that looked like a glitter bomb went over it,” Travis nods his head appreciatively and Connor, on another day, would also appreciate the genius of a good glitter bomb disaster while Alice sends him finger guns and a wink. “And almost got caught doing it, shame on you Alice.”

“We pick on the Aphrodite cabin too much, I think.” Alice says in her defense, raising her hands up. “It’s like they’ve developed a sixth sense for when they’re about to be pranked.”

“True, pranking, as all things, should be done in moderation. Let up on the pretty cabin for a few days. I’m sure that would put certain people in a good mood.” Travis clicks his tongue. “I had such a good prank for them too.”

“We owe the Athena cabin for transcribing some of the pages into Ancient Greek too.” Alice points out.

“Oh Connor, the things we do for you, bro.”

“All properly appreciated.” Connor promises then promptly rolls his eyes at Travis’ meaningful look. “And all _will_ be properly reciprocated once asked.”

“That a boy.” Travis claps his hands together and grins wickedly as the rest of their siblings convened around them and their bunk. “Children! What did the sparkly book say?”

Cecil, for some reason, produces said sparkly book and clears his throat as he opens it to a few pages. Seeming to stop at random, he proclaims, “ _So, you want to kiss your date! Here are ten things you should think about.”_

“Is this really necessary?” Connor cuts in.

“Hush, the book is speaking.” Cecil continues. “ _Number one, be sure your date wants to kiss you too._ Well shit, how will we ever know?”

Connor feels a slight bout of panic build in. “Oh Zeus, how _will_ we know?”

“Bro,” Travis places a hand on his chest. “I’m offended you’d think otherwise! You’re handsome. Well, I’m handsome, and you look like me so that would make _you_ handsome. Mitchell wants to kiss you.”

Connor can feel himself nodding but he honestly feels disconnected.

“Mitchell laughs at your jokes, you know. And they’re not very funny. I’m sure he’d love to be kissed by you.” Jess pats him on the shoulder affectionately, leaving some weird pasty thing stuck to his camp shirt.

Connor eyes it with raised brows. “Nice.”

“I try.” Jess laughs and waves his also stained hand in the air.

Cecil inches away from him and Alice takes the opportunity to swipe the book. “ _Number two, make sure your breath is fresh!_ Very good book, very smart. Would have never thought of that, honestly. Keep some breath mints with you at all times.”

Alice subtly slides a packet of green mints across the cabin floor and Connor traps it under his hand with a smile.

“ _Number three-_ hey I was reading that!”

“ _Set the scene!”_ Paige looks at them all thoughtfully then back to the glittery book in her lap. “Is that a challenge book?”

“I think it’s a challenge.” Jess is staring hard at his hand. “You can’t just take Mitchell for a walk around the lake anymore. You do it so often, it won’t feel special.”

“So maybe a picnic by the beach?” Cecil tucks his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “We could set up fairy lights, soft music in the background, make sure the tide’s low.”

“Won’t Mitchell think something’s up if Connor goes all out?” Alice points out.

“At least it’ll give him time to get in the mood.”

“I’ll think of something.” Connor nods at Paige. “Number four?”

“Some of this is pretty basic.” Paige flips through the pages. “ _Position yourself strategically._ How do you even do that?”

“Oh gods do you have to like, make sure you don’t flatten him?” Cecil bursts into laughter. “Bless me, you’d squish Mitchell like a bug!”

“I would _not_.” Connor protests but tries to wrap his mind around how exactly he’d have to _position himself strategically_.

Cecil looks like he wants to counter that but their fun is interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Might be Malcolm, cashing in that favor.” Alice flounces over to the door and throws it open. “Oh, hey Mitchell!”

Paige throws the book at Jess who smacks it towards Cecil who whacks it at Connor who tosses it at Travis who sends it only he would know. By the time Mitchell is in the cabin, Connor is getting to his feet, smiling like he’s been personally blessed by the gods (which, in a way, he was).

“Hi.”

“Heya.” Mitchell looks around the cabin and smiles at all the Hermes kids present. “Is this a bad time?"

“Nah, we were just chatting.” Connor leans against his bunk and prays it wouldn’t fold over. “Did you need something?”

“Yeah, I did, actually. Lacy told me one of her books went missing. Pink and all glittery. I don’t suppose you’ve seen it?" 

Connor subtly clenches his hands into fists and shoves them into his pockets. “A book? You won’t find books in the Hermes cabin, maybe Athena has it.”

“Right.” Mitchell cocks his hip and props his hands on it, his dark fringe falling over his eyes that were a slightly pink color at the moment. There’s also an edge to his voice and Connor feels utterly bewitched. “That book better be back by Lacy’s bunk before dinner, Stoll.”

Connor feels like he’s swallowed his tongue but manages to laugh off the slight allure Mitchell’s used on himself. “Only if you promise to go on a walk on the beach with me after dinner.”

“Blackmail.” Mitchell narrows his eyes. “Very low.”

“Gotta keep you on your toes.” Connor shrugs. “I know you get busy a lot these days.”

“It’s a date.” Mitchell smiles at him and then at all his siblings. “See you guys around.”

“Bye Mitchell~!”

When the Aphrodite boy disappears behind the closed door, four out of Connor’s five present siblings turn on him.

“What?”

“Tonight?!” Paige shrieks. “We won’t be able to assemble a perfect date on the beach by tonight!”

“Oh ye of little fate.” Connor shakes his head at them and produces a piece of paper and a pen. He takes a few minutes to jot things down then he hands it to Cecil who’s suddenly crowded by Jess, Paige, and Alice.

“So you did have something planned.” Jess nods his head approvingly. “This will be easy.” 

“Right?” Connor gives his siblings a look. “I’m counting on all of you.”

“Sir yes sir!” Four salutes later and Connor is left with just Travis who's been unusually quiet since Mitchell’s visit.

“Any advice for your baby brother?” Connor tries.

Travis grins at him from where he’s flipping through the glittery book he’s retrieved from probably the Underworld. “You’re overthinking things.”

“Really?” Connor deflates and sprawls himself over Travis’ legs on the bed. “How did you first kiss Katie?”

“I just went for it.” Travis tells him. “She was smiling at me, all beautiful and breathtaking, it felt right. So I went for it.”

Connor groans. “I would do that but, it’s not that simple. He’s a child of Love!”

“And what did he tell you when you went for that walk around the lake?” Travis shifts a bit. “ _All gestures are appreciated_ or something like that, right?”

“Yeah.” Connor frowns. “Wait, were you spying on us?”

“I do not have an answer for that. Well, I do but it’s not an answer you’d like.”

“Travis!”

“I have the right to remain silent!” Connor moves to completely flatten Travis on the bed. “Hades, you’re heavy bro! And this is not what the book meant when it said to position yourself strategically!”

“No more spying.” Connor grounds. “I don’t spy on you and Katie.”

“Okay!” Travis chokes out, gasping theatrically for breath shoving to get Connor off his stomach.

Connor relents and rolls off him, sighing deeply. “I just want it to be perfect.”

Travis gently cards a hand through Connor’s messy curls, like he’d always do when they were really, really young. “There’s a beauty in imperfect moments. You and I both know that some of the most amazing things happen when you get lost in the moment.”

Connor mulls over that and tries to burrow deeper into the mattress. “I’ll loosen up a bit at the actual date tonight.”

“Just don’t throw him into the ocean or something.” Travis pets his hair one last time then gets up from the bed. “I’ll go check on the kids.”

Connor makes a sound of acknowledgement.

“Oh, bro?”

“Yeah?”

“You might wanna get that glitter out of your hair.”

Connor sits up and squeaks at the amount of glitter that floats from his head. “Did this all come from that stupid book?!”

“Course not, I snuck in a few handfuls from Corrin’s glitter collection.”

Connor gives Travis an impressed look.

Travis shoots him a few fingers guns then gets out of the cabin.

Connor is left alone with his thoughts.


	2. The One With The Kiss

Mitchell wishes he could spell his hands still, maybe he could ask someone from the Hecate cabin to help him. Even now as he thinks this they grab fistfuls of his shirt and he lets his head fall backwards to thump heavily (and painfully) against the tree he was leaning against. 

“Not that this particular scene doesn’t look like it came straight out of a billion dollar award winning music video, because it does _believe_ me, but do you maybe want to talk about why you look like you’re one second from bursting into a painful ballad?” Connor manages to get all that out in one breath and still smile at Mitchell like the gods themselves have sculpted him, even with the bazillion things in his arms.

Mitchell returns the smile, albeit a bit dryly as he pushes away from the tree and takes a few off of the brunette’s burden. “My mother hates me.”

Connor drops what looks like firewood and some tea lights in his shock. “What now?”

“She hates me.” Mitchell repeats.

“I heard that, but why exactly would she?”

“There were cats in front of the Aprodite cabin when I was on my way out.”

Connor’s eyebrows bunch together and he looks adorably confused. “Cats?”

“Yes, Connor, cats!” Mitchell sighs. “I’m destined to be alone. Cats. Not just one, but also several others. White floofy ones, and those mix-matched brown and black ones. They’re all migrating towards me like I’m firing a beacon that says, oh I don’t know, ‘Future cat lady! Come while I’m still alive and kicking because who knows when another war’s going to break out. Reservations won’t be necessary, interviews are strictly smart casual!” 

Connor promptly drops everything in his hands and pulls Mitchell in his arms, torn between his inner Hermes kid’s desire to burst into laughter and his Mitchell-meter rising to near exploding at the panic at seeing Mitchell like this. “Hey there, breathe a little." 

“I hate cats!”

“No you don’t. You think they’re wonderful.” Connor shushes him.

“Well I should hate them.” Mitchell insists. “I once had a neighbor who was a cat lady and she owned nearly fifty. Fifty! I don’t wanna grow old and alone with fifty cats to call my children!”

“Cats make lovely children. Dogs too.” Connor tries and is rattled when Mitchell shakes his head and buries his face into Connor’s shoulder. He was just the right height for that. Huh.

“I’m too pretty to be alone!”

“Okay.” Connor laughs, or chortles, it was really awkward and he gently pulls away from Mitchell. ”Which sibling put you up to this?”

“Annabelle.”

Connor shakes his head. ”Never did know what I did to that one. She sends you to me with the craziest ideas in your head. And that’s coming from a child of Hermes.”

“I think it’s because she’s dating a child of Apollo. There’s lost of musical dates and performances. She’s… practicing. Or experimenting.” Mitchell helps Connor pick up the stuff on the floor. “I don’t know why I go along with it, the theatrics I mean.”

“Hey, your siblings just want to make sure you have someone who can handle you at your best and at your worse.” Connor grins at him, supplies all together and does a jerky movement towards the beach. “Tide’s supposed to be low tonight.”

“Maybe we’ll see a lot of shiny shells on the sandy sea shore.” Mitchell frowns. “That was a mouthful I’m never saying it again.”

Connor proceeds to try and repeat the sentence ten times fast and fails. Mitchell looks through what he has in his arms. “This is a lot of candles, don’t you think?”

“I got permission to go to the beach at night but only if there’s enough illumination to make us visible.” Connor explains, sidestepping a rock as the ground changes to sand.

“Illumination.” Mitchell echoes with a fond shake of his head. “Chiron sure knows how to make use of his wide vocabulary.”

“I know right, he could have just said light.” Connor makes another of those jerky movements. “Over there.”

Mitchell’s breath catches at the spread beach mat and he laughs lightly under his breath. “Are you absolutely _sure_ that that’s enough candles? How many are even out there?”

“Oh I don’t know. One, two, five, fourteen, twelve, hmm, too many to count but I’d guess about a hundred.” Connor pulls a worried expression, his eyes wide. ”Is it not enough?! Won’t we be illuminated?!”

“Twelve comes _before_ fourteen. I can’t even. Mitchell shoves at Connor to get him to move again and he helps set up a few more candles turning the hundred to a hundred and twenty. He watches as Connor fiddles with them from the beach mat, his legs stretched in front of him and his hands propped up behind him. You are absolutely ridiculous, Connor Stoll.”

“But that is only but one of my amazing qualities!” Connor proclaims and plops down on the mat beside Mitchell, his legs crossed underneath him and his arms stretched back as well.

There’s a brief spell of silence where Mitchell appreciates the moment. The soft breeze going through his hair, enough to make his bangs flutter but not go in complete disarray. The night is cool but not cold enough that he’s shivering in his spot. The quiet whoosh of water splashing on sand is soothing and Connor’s presence is comforting, the realization that he’s done all this for him sends Mitchell’s heart fluttering like a bird high on life in his chest, and he prays to Zeus that Connor doesn’t hear it.

Connor smiles at him, the light of the candles bouncing against his face in warm orange glows like the fires of a forge at the Hephaestus cabin or the sun on a daffodil in the fields.

_So beautiful._

Mitchell startles when Connor’s cheeks flush a bright red and he coughs, averting his eyes. “Thank you.”

Oh. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Yup.” Connor grins at him, that roguish Hermes boy grin that begged mystery and curiosity and a hundred other things. “I think you’re beautiful too.”

Mitchell chuckles and changes the color of his eyes when they roll. “You would. The children of Aphrodite are known for their beauty. Nobody would be able to take their eyes off of them.”

“I only have eyes for one child of Aphrodite.” Connor tells him in a tone that seems to be reminding. “And he’s right here, looking like a god in his own right.”

Mitchell’s eyes widen in worry. “U-Uh, thank you but um remember the last time a human was compared to a god? They went poof!”

“Right, I take that bit back.” Connor hurriedly says. “But you’re, um, Mitchell. You do know that I don't just like you because you’re beautiful?”

“I don’t, actually.” Mitchell confesses bluntly. “I mean, it’s only been, what? A month?”

“A month and three days.”

“Right.” Mitchell gives Connor a fond look. He seems to be throwing Connor a lot of those. “I’m just saying, there’s so much we don’t know about each other and I’m not saying that that’s a bad thing. In fact, I like it.”

Connor fiddles with the hem of his cargo shorts and stares off at the calm waters of the ocean to their left. “I like not knowing things about you too. Gives me something to look forward to every time we meet up. Mysteries unfold.”

“But what if we run out of mysteries to figure out? Will you…” Mitchell grounds the word out with difficulty. “Leave?”

Connor gives him a very surprised look, his eyes widening. “Would you want me to leave?”

Mitchell’s hands curl into fists, his nails biting in the meat of his palms. “I can’t force people to stay. I mean, my father. My real father, he left me on someone’s doorstep hoping that they’d take me in. And, and I love my parents, they’re more than I can ask for. But, but if he hadn’t done that, left me, I would never have gotten to where I am now.”

Connor absorbs Mitchell’s words, takes in the way the other boy struggles around what he wants to say because obviously it’s coming out hard and frazzled.

Mitchell takes a deep breath, lets it out, and shoots Connor a weak smile. “I’m just saying that people leave for a reason. And, for my own sake, when they do, I just let them. So if you ever want to leave, I won’t stop you. Because I don’t want to be the one that holds you back. And it’s stupid, because it’s only been a month. I just think you deserve to know this, if, I mean, if we’re doing this for the long haul.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave, Mitchell.” Connor tells him after a moment of silence. He reaches one hand out to hold Mitchell’s in, gives it a squeeze and brings it close enough to press a kiss then holds it close to his chest. “Do you feel that?”

Mitchell, partly reeling from the kiss and the hand holding, nods.

“It’s been a month and you still get it to go crazy like that.” Connor smiles, this one softer, curved around the edges like a leaf shying away from the rain. “I know. I know I’m _young_. We’re young. But, but I just have this strong feeling that you’ll always be able to do that. Mysteries or no.”

“I can’t,” Connor bites on his lip. “I can’t promise that I won’t leave. Because I don’t know what’s going to happen. I mean, any one of us could end up pissing a god off and the average demigod’s life span is like, what, to the age of twenty?”

“If you’re being generous.” Mitchell nods.

“Right.” Connor pauses, his gaze stuck on their intertwined hands. “And yeah, it’s only been a month, but right now, in this moment,” he lifts his gaze and looks Mitchell in the eyes, tries to convey how honest he’s being, how he means what he’s about to say. “You set me on fire, Mitchell.”

Mitchell’s breath catches.

“And if the time comes that I have to leave.” Connor squeezes their hands closer still. How is that even possible when it feels like they’re the closest they’ll ever be? “If the time comes, then I want you to know that this moment, the moments that have come, and all the moments still to come, I’ll remember it all. And, for my own sake, when I leave, and it’s not because I want to, then at least, wait for me?”

Mitchell looks like he’s torn and Connor smiles at him. “If waiting’s too much, then maybe I’ll be the one you won’t let leave. Maybe, maybe I’ll be the one you end up chasing.”

He’s not sure who ends up inching closer, who erases the space between them. Who was doing the moving? Why were they now pressed together? In a heartbeat it’s gone. Connor’s lips are warm, everything is warm. Mitchell’s eyelashes flutter when he opens his eyes, when had he even closed them?

Connor’s lips are pressed together and there’s a flush on his cheeks, his tan skin betraying him in this moment and he shuffles a bit so the space between them is back, but it feels like it isn’t. He lets out a small breath. “Well.”

Mitchell’s hand, the one that isn’t still locked in Connor’s hold, moves to touch his lips. Was it his imagination or were they tingling?

Connor watches him do that, his heart beating a hundred miles an hour and he grins. “That happened?”

Mitchell lowers his hand, nodding. “That happened.”

“I’ve never kissed anyone before.” Connor says, his voice lowering.

Mitchell is leaning forward again, his voice low too. “Why are you whispering?”

“I don’t know.” Connor whispers back and kisses him for the second time. It’s longer, just a few more seconds than the first and when they part, it’s less like their brains are scrambled but more like they’re euphoric, smiling at each other like absolutely idiots.

The mood is different; it’s light, warm, fluffy like before but also loose, like nothing could go wrong.

Mitchell moves so there’s more space between them, but not enough that they feel like their worlds apart. He’s still smiling, although he shivers at the sudden cold gust of wind.

“It’s getting a little late.” Connor points out and moves to get on his feet.

Mitchell shakes his head, and pulls at their still twined hands. “Not yet. I don't want to go yet.”

Connor smiles at him, and settles back with he legs again crossed underneath him. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

“I have, once.” Mitchell tells him, looking the slightest bit apologetic.

Connor waves his worries away. “Was it… was it like this? Because, because I can’t. I mean, I know that the books always say that kissing is like fireworks, and, and butterflies and everything romantic thrown in but, I mean, I never thought it would be like… this.”

Mitchell laughs, his entire being just absolutely _light_. “No. No it wasn't. Like this, I mean. I think, I think it takes the right person for a kiss to mean something more than just lips against lips. It takes the right feelings.”

They’re both quiet at that. Another spell of silence falling over them until Mitchell breaks into another shiver. Connor gently takes his hand away, “I’ll make us a bonfire or something. If you want to stay longer.”

“Okay.” Mitchell lets go without protest this time, wrapping his arms around him. The wind was really picking up. 

Connor holds a bottle of clear fluid. He looks at it for a second, a considering expression on his face before he looks at Mitchell. “Wanna see something cool?”

Mitchell, still too high off of happiness, just nods his head. He unknowingly ignores the hundred dozen warning bells going off of his head.

Connor lights up a stick of driftwood he’d gotten from somewhere and dumps some of the fluid on his shirt.

Mitchell’s rationality is only beginning to catch up when the son of Hermes pokes his damp shirt with the stick on fire. 

“Wait, Connor.”

And the shirt bursts into flame.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at all these feelings. Wow. Next chapter; Connor in the infirmary.


	3. The One Where It's All Okay

 

Travis isn’t a fan of most rules, he’s honestly made it his personal goal to break at least fifty before he and Connor had to go home for the summer. However he so swears on the nine o’clock curfew because who the heck didn’t love to sleep after a day of running around ragged looking after your little brothers and sisters (as well as entertaining a very pretty lady, his very pretty lady that wanted a bazillion pots and plants moved until they all got enough sunlight). 

The older residents of the Hermes cabin is thrown into a very solemn silence when Travis isn’t in his bunk at eight fifty-nine, telling them to get into their bunks and is instead standing by the open cabin door with his hands on his hips and a very, very stern look on his face.

“Connor’s in the infirmary.” He says in a low measured tone. The quiver in his voice betrays the fact that he looks like he’s a second from screaming if it didn’t mean waking the younger kids that were out like a light since eight. It’s Travis’ state that sets an alarm off in their heads that although Hermes kids were often in the infirmary, this time it was different.

“What happened?” Alice asks as she sits up in her bunk.

Cecil gets to his feet and rummages for something on his nightstand. It’s the list Connor made them this afternoon. “What went wrong? Did we read the moon wrong? Was it the tide?”

“He caught on fire.”

Jess gasps and smacks a hand over his mouth.

“He wasn’t supposed to catch on fire!” Julia protests.

“You knew about this?” Travis shakes his head.

“Yeah, he planned it.” Julia points at Cecil, who waves the list in his hand to seemingly emphasize the point. “He asked us to put some water in a bottle and he’d pretend it was lighter fluid to freak Mitchell out.”

“He said that if he chickened out of kissing Mitchell he’d prank him instead.” Cecil adds in. “Does that mean he didn’t kiss Mitchell?”

“Are you sure you filled it with water?” Travis clarifies, ignoring Cecil’s question. He instead stares at each of them, trying to gauge their reactions. “You’re absolutely sure?”

“We did!” Julie stomps her foot, her temper rising and her cheeks flushing hotly. It’s loud enough that some of the younger kids are jumping awake, being light sleepers was a trait they all shared in case someone thought it would be funny to prank _them_. “I can’t believe you’d need to ask! Yeah we’re pranksters but would we ever set Connor up, our brother, for danger like that? We lose enough demigods without us doing the others in ourselves!”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Travis counters, his stress levels growing to an all time high. He pinches his nose in an effort to calm down then puffs his cheeks up and closes his eyes. He does this for a few seconds before letting the breath out with a pop and he gives his siblings a look.

Cecil is standing beside Julia, a comforting arm around her waist and a pained expression on his face. “I know you and Connor are closer, since you guys share both parents, but Travis, he’s our brother too.”

“Oh Hades.” Travis curses and scuffs at the hardwood floors of their cabin with his shoe, it trekked mud everywhere. It takes only a second of contemplation before he’s stalking towards his siblings, both younger than him and Connor, and wraps his arms around them, pulls them close. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made you think that he means more to me just because we share the same father _and_ mother. I’d be just as angry if it were anyone of you that this happened to.”

Julia breaks into a sob and tears fall down her cheeks as she buries her face into Travis’ arm, her small body shaking. Cecil isn’t crying but he clings to Travis, his fingers clutching fistfuls of his eldest brother’s jacket. The three of them are nearly bowled over when Alice throws herself into the hug, squishing herself between Travis and Julia’s sides and Paige, who had been silent for most of the exchange, had snuck her way in at some point too.

“I’m sorry.” Travis repeats and his siblings cling to him even more. This was an issue that they’d never touched on, and the eldest Hermes sibling never wanted it to happen again. He looks at his siblings and counts only five (Hermes had six teenagers and six preteens, their youngest sibling Sasha was seven), and then turns his head to see Jess shaking like a leaf on the cabin floor. “Jess? I’m sorry for getting mad at you guys. Family hug?”

Jess shakes his head and the tears he’d been holding back fall.

The Hermes huddle breaks up and Travis approaches Jess. “It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s my fault.” Jess sobs, dropping his face into his hands.

The entire cabin tenses up in shock and surprise. Travis has half the mind to let the anger bubbling in him to surface but a glance at Julia’s still tear streaked face reminds him that he has already made him feel like he cared more for Connor than them and he swallows the growing anger down. Instead he moves until he can kneel in front of Jess and tries to move his hands away.

“What do you mean, Jess?” Travis asks, his voice controlled. “Did you put lighter fluid in there?”

“No!"

“Then how is this your fault?”

“I was distracted! I bumped into Kristofferson on my way to the beach and dropped the bottle. I wasn’t paying attention to what I picked up, just saw a bottle and ran because Connor needed the beach to be ready and dinner was almost over. It’s my fault! I’m so sorry!” Jess’ words are a little hard to understand with his sobs.

But Travis understands anyways. He’s kept tabs on all of his siblings (Alice, Julia, Cecil, Paige, and Jess being the older ones anyways) and how, in true Hermes child style, they exchanged friendly pranks with some of the people they had eyes on in camp.

“Jess, you need to breathe.” Cecil cuts in, kneeling beside his brothers. “You’re not gonna help anyone if you start hyperventilating. We’ll have to put you in a bed right beside Connor’s.”

“Take deep breaths, Jessie, come on.” Travis follows suit and rubs a soothing hand over Jess’ back. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”

The cabin is silent except for Alice and Julia attempting to send their younger siblings back to sleep with head pats and whispers of ‘everything’s okay’.

“Why would Kristofferson want to hurt Connor?” Paige whispers, not wanting to trigger Jess’ tears now that he was able to calm down.

“He probably thought _I_ was pranking Jess.” Cecil says. “I borrowed some of the candles from the Hephaestus cabin and he was working on something. He had some empty lighter fluid bottles and I asked for one. I told him I’d give it to Jess for the bonfire and he watched me fill it up with water. I didn’t mention that Connor needed it for a prank. He probably thought that I was going to prank Jess by giving him water instead of lighter fluid so he stepped in.”

Jess looks up at them with red-rimed eyes. “Why would he do that?”

A collective moment of understanding passes between the siblings as they exchange looks and for a moment the mood lightens.

Travis gently knocks his knuckles against Jess’ chin and smiles. “Kid probably likes you. Didn’t want you to get embarrassed when you tried to light a fire and couldn’t.”

Jess’ earlier moment of fear and guilt is forgotten and his eyes widen for a whole other reason. “Do you think so?”

“I know so.” Travis chuckles then gets to his feet. He gives the whole cabin a once over and sighs deeply at the clock that says it was already half an hour past nine. “Okay children, it’s time for bed.”

“What about Connor?” Alice asks from Avery’s bed, the latter quiet but awake with her head on the former’s lap.

Travis inhales then exhales. “He’s, not that bad. Mitchell had the presence of mind to take his jacket off and Percy, bless him, was actually around the beach at the time. Something about keeping an eye on Nico and Will. He used the water from the ocean to douse the flames.”

“So are they just keeping an eye on him for the night?” Cecil asks, moving towards his bed.

“Yeah.” Travis runs a hand through his unruly curls, the same curls most of his siblings have. “We can all check on him in the morning, but right now the harpies are already loose.”

Someone hits the lights before everybody is in bed but Travis knows the cabin like the back of his hand. He falls with a groan once his body hits the mattress and he feels s if he’s lost nearly ten years of his life. The bunk beside him is empty and he hopes that Connor isn’t feeling lonely all by his lonesome in the infirmary.

They’d surprise him tomorrow morning.

“Travis?”

“Yeah Jessie?”

“Are you mad at Kris?”

Travis thinks about it. “No, he didn’t know that would happen.”

“Okay.”

Travis gets comfortable, listening to the sound of his siblings shuffling in the dark. They’d all be okay.

* * *

 

“I’m okay!” Connor insists and no, no he is not pouting in the face of the very stern look Will is giving him and the very unamused glare Mitchell has had on his face for the past two hours. He chooses to pester the former and gestures to himself. “You said it yourself! The burns are pretty first degree and the ambrosia made it all go away. I’m practically good as new.”

“I still need to make sure that you aren’t any more hurt than I think you were Connor.” Will jots something down into one of his many charts and points at him with his pen. “Plus, I’m not letting you out past curfew. If Travis had come back to get you then maybe I would have discharged you, but he hasn’t so you’re staying here.”

Connor groans and drops his head against his pillows. “But this is the infirmary! I hate the infirmary- no offense Will.”

“None taken.” Will chuckles and looks at Mitchell. “Gonna keep him company? I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to leave either since the harpies are on patrol and all that but if you want to go sleep in your cabin I can have Nico take you.”

Said child of Hades looks up from the book he’s been preoccupying himself with as his friend went into Doctor mode and nods at Mitchell who smiles at Nico. “Thanks for the offer but I’m fine.”

“Great.” Will tucks his pen in the front pocket of his scrubs. “The cot next to Connor’s is empty, feel free to make use of it. No sense in letting you sleep in a chair. Come on Death boy, read to me while I update my charts.”

“Call me that one more time and I’ll tell you all about how your favorite character dies.” Nico threatens coolly.

Will makes a funny noise as he pulls the curtains sectioning off Connor’s bed from the rest of the infirmary close, his voice trailing off as he rebuts Nico’s threats.

Connor is silent as Mitchell gives him a very nasty glare once they’re alone and makes a show of burrowing in his bed. “Why can’t Nico take me back to the Hermes cabin?”

“Take a wild guess.” Mitchell drawled dryly.

Connor has the decency to flush in embarrassment and he sends Mitchell a pleading look. “I don’t know what went wrong! It was supposed to be water, not lighter fluid!”

“Maybe this is a sign for you to not pull pranks anymore?”

Connor gasps, partly in true hurt. “Pranking is in my blood, Mitchell. I can’t stop it anymore than you can keep yourself from becoming overly invested in other people’s relationships.”

Mitchell is silent for a second before he sighs and plops down onto the cot beside Connor’s and throws his arm to cover his eyes. “Will it always be this exhausting to date you?”

“Sometimes?” Connor answers honestly and winces when Mitchell groans. “I’m sorry Angel, but I swear, it was supposed to be an innocent prank. There was nothing about a barbecued Connor on the agenda for this evening.”

“Your recklessness is going to kill you one day.” Mitchell grumbles.

“Maybe, but not today.” Connor perks up when the corners of Mitchell’s lips turn the slightest bit upwards. Ah, is he forgiven? “Aren’t you sleepy?”

“I’m exhausted.” Mitchell admits and removes his arm and turns on his side so he can look at Connor properly.

The child of Hermes makes himself comfortable, shuffling his stark white blanket and make sure he’s completely covered under it. Mitchell does the same, fluffing his pillow up a bit and they spend a moment there, just lying and staring, winding down from a hectic day.

Will seems to take their silence as a sign and dims the lights on their side of the infirmary.

Connor breaks the silence with a soft whisper. “Are you still mad at me?”

A beat, Mitchell lets out an exasperated breath and pulls his blanket over himself some more. “No. I’m done being mad.”

Connor reaches his arm over and is glad when Mitchell meets him halfway, their hands clasped together. “Thank you. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“If I ask you not to do it ever again, would you?”

“For a while, probably.” Connor shudders. “Don’t think I can stand even the campfires. I’ll need some time to recover.”

Mitchell nods and gently tugs his hand away so he can pull it back under the covers. The infirmary was incredibly cold at night because of some of the stuff Will had to store in cases of emergencies, the fridges there had to always be kept at a certain temp and it turned the whole place into a freaking fridge.

Connor watches this from his own bed and smiles when Mitchell smooshes his cheek against his pillow. “Do I get a kiss goodnight?”

Mitchell gives him a look and Connor sighs. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

The child of Aphrodite battles with his blanket for a second to free his arm and sends the other boy a flying kiss that Connor dramatically catches and clutches to his heart.

“Ridiculous. Goodnight Stoll.” Mitchell turns over so he has his back to Connor, mostly to hide his now flushed cheeks at the adorable display.

Connor smiles at him, even though he can’t see it and sends him a flying kiss back.

Then he falls asleep, happy.

The next morning he wakes up to find every single one of his siblings surrounding his bed and the others near it. Mitchell is already gone but he knows he’ll see him around later. Right now he’s trying to assure his siblings, the younger ones mostly, that he was fine. He goes as far as to think he’d break his arm if he had to twist it any other angle to show them that the burns had been treated by the ambrosia Will (who was now passed out presumably at the Hades cabin after one of his siblings took over for him) had given him last night.

Jess is near to tears when Travis explains what had happened and Connor pulls his little brother close, ruffling his blond curls and messing it up even more and just tells him, “He must really like you.”

“Connor?” Avery and her little pigtails grab his attention. “Did you get to kiss Mitchell last night?”

All of his siblings stutter to a halt and if they all hadn’t been looking at Connor before they were definitely watching him with hawk eyes now.

“Thanks to everybody’s hard work at getting the beach ready, setting the mood, and helping me think about how exactly I was supposed to _position myself strategically,”_ He grins at them, that trademark Hermes’ kid smile with the twinkle in his eyes. “Heck yeah I did!”

His siblings all cheer.

And they were okay. It was all okay. 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't pass the opportunity to work out on the cabin dynamics. I thought this was going to be a two-shot but I now I kinda want to see the Aphrodite cabin's input on Mitchell and Connor's relationship (not that it's any of their business). I've exhausted the extent of their first kiss though so maybe I'll just feature the Aphrodite cabin more in the next installment. 
> 
> I think I kind of want to write a spin-off of Katie and Travis talking about what went down between the siblings. I mean, Travis got called out for basically holding Connor on a different bar from his other siblings. Travis needs to recharge and be comforted, gods know how hard it is to stay strong in moments like this.
> 
> See you in the next installment!

**Author's Note:**

> This was really more of a siblings fic, I think. Although the date will be more Conchell centric, as it should be ahaha!


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